


hey you (do you know my heart?)

by gudesanha



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Underage Drinking, mark is a pessimist and hyuck is a softie, mark is a popular kid & donghyuck isn't
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-25 02:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14368497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gudesanha/pseuds/gudesanha
Summary: donghyuck has been harboring a crush on the boy he tutors, the popular mark lee, for what feels like forever. he finally asks him out and mark says yes, but donghyuck doesn't know that mark was tricked into dating him for a month.





	hey you (do you know my heart?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> donghyuck is an idiot but somehow, everything works out. at least, so he thinks.

lee donghyuck doesn't know what love is, honestly.

but, after watching an ungodly amount of romantic comedies and taking an endless amount of cheesy quizzes, he figures it out. donghyuck is, you know.  _in love._

when donghyuck sits at their lunch table one day and announces this fact to his friends, they all stare back at him as if he was crazy. donghyuck can't blame them, however.

after all, anyone who is head over heels for  _the_ mark lee must be either insane or stupid. in donghyuck's case, probably both.

but honestly, he really can't help it. donghyuck remembers how they first met, and how that day was the first time he'd seen the soft side of mark.

it was the first day of school and donghyuck had been walking home, the cool wind ruffling his hair and blowing dead leaves across the sidewalk. the day had been terrible to say the least, and to say donghyuck was in a bad mood was a complete understatement. he had decided to take the long way home that day, because he remembered seeing an oddly fluffy cat the last time he had taken this route, and that cat was exactly what he needed to boost his mood.

he was almost to the house where he thought the cat lived when he heard a soft voice and stopped. ten feet ahead of where donghyuck stood was the new kid who had transferred this year and the cat he was looking for, and they appeared to be getting along. the boy was crouched down on the sidewalk and the cat rubbed against his outstretched hand, purring so loudly that donghyuck could hear it from where he stood. the boy was murmuring softly to the cat, and chuckled when it rolled over onto its back and exposed its soft belly.

donghyuck wasn't sure if his classmate or the cat was cuter, and that was saying something. he decided to talk to him.

he took a deep breath and gathered his courage, taking a step towards the pair. everything went well until he took another step. panic filled donghyuck as he tripped over nothing, and he went crashing to the ground with a yelp. the other boy snapped his head over to look at donghyuck in shock, and the cat bolted. the boy stared at donghyuck for a few moments before blinking and hurrying over to him.

donghyuck felt his cheeks flaming as he sat up, and he was certain his face was as red as a tomato. donghyuck nodded as the other boy asked if he was okay, attempting to hide his scraped hand behind his back. the other noticed and grabbed his wrist, closely inspecting the scratches and sighing before informing him that he should come with him to his house so he could get cleaned up. donghyuck couldn't help but think about how soft the other boy's hands were and how cute he looked when he furrowed his eyebrows.

the dark haired boy introduced himself as mark lee as he helped him up and brushed himself off, waving for donghyuck to follow him as he started walking. mark's house was only about a block away, but the awkward silence made it seem like much longer than that. they finally arrived at the house, and mark told him to wait there as he went to get something. he came back a minute later with a first aid kit in hand and a small frown on his face. he grabbed donghyuck's wrist gently and examined the boy's cut palm.

"it's gonna sting when i clean it, okay?" he waited for donghyuck to nod before he continued and poured the liquid from the kit onto the cuts. it did sting, and a whimper escaped despite donghyuck's best efforts to ignore the pain. mark immediately stopped pouring and gave him a concerned look, relaxing when the other boy smiled at him and told him it was okay. mark grabbed a few bandages and continued to tend to him, and donghyuck felt his heart swell at the cutely focused expression on his face.

in no time, donghyuck was as good as new and ready to go. they both lingered at the doorway for a moment longer than needed, another awkward silence between them. "uh, see you at school." mark said after a moment, the frown finally dropping off of his face and being replaced with a smile. donghyuck decided the smile looked better on him and waved goodbye before leaving, a smile on his face that wasn't present before.

donghyuck doesn't know if love at first sight is real, but if it is, this was it.

 

* * *

 

mark lee hates the concept of soulmates.

something about the unrealistically romantic trope just irks him, not to mention the fact that it's painfully overused. the millions of soulmate based movies, books and silly fanfictions seem to be eaten up by the public, but mark really just doesn't understand. he can't help but wonder about the evil people in this world. do they get soulmates, too? what if your soulmate dies? what if you don't  _want_ one?

mark hates soulmates because the thought of someone having to be with someone like him for the rest of their life stirs up something evil and sad inside him.

most people call him a pessimist or worse, and mark can't totally disagree. he likes to think that everyone else is too optimistic. they're too busy swallowing the sweet lies that society feeds them to see the truth. but that's alright, mark supposes. 

it feels like mark's school is full of the most happy, purely optimistic idiots on earth. the hallways seemed to be perpetually filled with laughter and pda, and every time mark has to walk the halls, it feels like his hate for this place grows. he mentions this to his friends and renjun makes a comment about him being the grinch looking down on whoville. (his friends all seem to think this is very funny. mark does not.)

ironically, mark somehow ends up getting tutored by possibly the brightest (and most obnoxious, in mark's opinion) person in their school. when mark's grade in math suddenly dips below 60, mr. park forces him to get tutoring and pairs him up with someone named lee donghyuck. mark has no idea who the shy boy is and tries to keep a neutral opinion of him, but as soon as the boy opened his mouth to speak and the equivalent of unicorns and rainbows comes out, mark makes up his mind. he doesn't like him. something about how donghyuck always greets him with a smile, looks at mark as if he expected him to recognize him and brings him snacks when they meet up just makes mark feel so...  _annoyed._

donghyuck seemed to try his best to help mark, but the older boy expressed his unreasonable dislike for him by not paying attention and falling asleep every other lesson. (donghyuck never seems to get annoyed or angry with him. mark hates that, too.) mark decides he's had enough of the tutoring when his grade changes to passing, so he sends donghyuck a vague text about quitting and stops showing up to the study sessions. mark doesn't feel bad.

mark has finally forgotten about the younger boy when he gets a text asking him to meet at the café near school. mark shrugs and accepts.

 

* * *

 

donghyuck heaved an overdramatic sigh and flopped over onto his friend's couch, nearly avoiding crushing chenle as he did. he moved his head into the younger boy's lap and stretched his legs out, a pout glued to his face as he waited for chenle to acknowledge him. when his friend continued to ignore him, donghyuck made various annoyed and upset noises until the other gave in and asked him what was wrong. "i texted mark and asked him to meet me at kun's café. i'm finally going to ask him out, lele."

chenle immediately sat up in shock and gaped at his friend. he shoved donghyuck's head off of his lap in the process, much to the dark haired boy's dismay. "are you insane, hyuck? this is probably the dumbest thing you've ever done, and that says a lot." he continued after he heard donghyuck start to protest. "we both know mark lee is a total asshole."

donghyuck sat up and gave his friend a look. "hey! take it back! mark's not an asshole. he's just.... misunderstood." chenle snorted at this, prompting a smack in the face with a pillow from donghyuck.

the two were about to continue fighting when donghyuck's forgotten phone beeped, and they both stared at each other for a moment before diving for it. chenle reached it first and shouted triumphantly, holding the phone above donghyuck's head as he read it. "he's going!" chenle screamed, and donghyuck made one final swipe for the phone, knocking them both off balance. they both fell to the ground.

donghyuck sat up and read the message, ignoring chenle's pained groans beneath him.

 **donghyuck:** hey mark!

 **donghyuck:** can you meet me at the café by school at 5? i have to tell you something!

 **mark:** ok ig

donghyuck threw his phone to the side and got up, hurrying to the door. he quickly started to tug his sneakers on and glanced back at chenle, who was still laying on the floor and holding his side where donghyuck had been on top of him. "hurry up, i have to get ready!"

chenle reluctantly stood up and followed him out, complaining the whole time.

 

* * *

 

mark sighed as he walked into the small café, sliding his phone into his pocket as he looked for who he was supposed to be meeting with. he set his stuff down at a table when he doesn't see donghyuck and walks up to the counter to order. the brown haired boy at the counter was bent over a textbook and it took a few moments before he noticed that he had a customer.

"welcome to neo café! what would you like?" mark glanced at the man's nametag as he spoke. his name was yuta, which was vaguely familiar to mark. he turned his attention to the menu and thought for a moment. mark figured he might as well be polite and order something for both of them, so he asked for two vanilla milkshakes. he paid and headed back to his seat, looking up as someone entered and the bell over the door rang lightly.

lee donghyuck stood there for a moment, his brow furrowing as he surveyed the room. his face completely lit up as he spotted mark, and he hurried over to their table. he looked nice, wearing a slightly large pale blue sweater and jeans. something about the way his hair was perfectly messy and his cheeks were a subtle shade of pink made something twist inside mark's stomach. he told himself it was just annoyance.

"why did you want to meet?" mark cringed inwardly at the clear disinterest in his voice and the way donghyuck's face fell the tiniest bit, but he managed to keep a straight face.

donghyuck bit his lip and looked down for a moment before answering. "well... uh, i think i like you, mark. will you maybe go out with me?" mark choked on his sip of milkshake as he heard these words, and coughed before looking at the other boy incredulously.

"are you kidding?" the words came out harsher than he had meant them to, and donghyuck seemed to shrink into himself. mark was about to apologize and rephrase his words when donghyuck stood up and mumbled something about being sorry before hurrying out of the door.

mark sat there in shock for a few moments before sighing and standing up, shrugging his jacket on. the boy at the counter gave him a knowing look and mark attempted to smile in return, but he's sure that it came out looking like a frown instead. his phone buzzed as he left. he checked it and scrolled through the texts from his friends, all asking him if he was going to yukhei's party tonight. mark wasn't planning on going, but after this, he figured he might as well. he sent one of them a quick text and started walking to yukhei's house.

the party seemed to have already started long before mark walked in, judging by the music blasting and the bodies filling the large living room. he squeezed through the crowd and headed towards the kitchen, eyes searching for a familiar face. his friends were gathered in the kitchen, and mark hopped up onto the kitchen counter beside renjun. the rest of their friend group was there too, with jaemin and jeno standing unusually close to each other near the sink and jisung leaning against the fridge. their previous conversation stopped when mark entered.

"you actually came? don't you hate parties?" mark shrugged at jaemin's question and grabbed an unopened beer from the counter beside him, opening it and taking a drink. "i needed a distraction, i guess."

jisung raised his eyebrows and gave mark a look, gesturing for him to explain. mark sighed and told them about what had happened before, frowning when his friends laughed at him. "what? i didn't even do anything."

"he probably thought you were flat out rejecting him. poor boy." renjun shook his head and sighed, playfully leaning on mark. he remained unbothered when his friend shrugged him off and huffed. jeno broke his silence from where he was practically holding jaemin, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"isn't he the one you hate? i bet $100 you won't date him for a month." everyone started talking at once after jeno uttered the words, and mark didn't bother voicing his complaints until everyone had calmed down and turned to him.

"you're right. i won't," mark said firmly, ignoring the way everyone groaned at this. mark gulped down the rest of the cheap beer before hopping down and grabbing another. a popular song that mark didn't recognize was blaring uncomfortably loud, and mark's head was already beginning to hurt. he walked back into the living room and grimaced as he was immediately engulfed by a mass of dancing bodies. mark pushed through and ignored everyone who attempted to stop him to talk, sitting down at the couch that had been pushed to the corner of the room. he opened his can and glanced at the couple making out on the opposite corner of the couch before sighing and pulling out his phone.

mark sat there for what felt like forever, but the room was packed as ever and he wasn't sure if he was on his fourth or fifth beer. his head was beginning to spin at this point, and he nearly went crashing to the floor when he attempted to stand. jisung seemed to appear out of nowhere, steadying mark and sending him a knowing grin. the taller boy looked to be completely sober still, and he managed to lead mark upstairs without too much trouble. their friends had apparently switched from the kitchen to one of yukhei's spare rooms, and the majority of them looked just as drunk as mark felt.

jeno and jaemin were stretched out on one bed while renjun leaned against the headboard of the other, eyes closed. mark stumbled over to the bed renjun was on and sat down, trying to ignore the way his head still spun even after he stopped moving. he heard his friends murmuring something but ignored them, rolling over and closing his eyes. he sensed someone walk over to him and giggle (jaemin? mark couldn't tell who it was) and slide his phone out of his pocket. he slowly sat up and glared at his friends, eyes widening as he seen jeno quickly typing something into mark's phone.

mark tried to lunge for his friend and get his phone back, but he tripped on someone's foot and went down. mark groaned as he felt his head hit the floor, annoyance cutting through his daze. he tried to get back up and stop jeno from doing whatever stupid thing he had decided on this time, but it seemed that the damage had already been done and the boy in question tossed mark's phone back to him. mark snatched it and tried to see what he had done, but his vision blurred and the letters seemed to float off of the screen. mark gave up after a few more frustrating moments and stomped over to his previous spot, pulling a pillow out from underneath renjun's sleeping body and throwing it at jeno. this action seemed to make his head hurt even more, and the exhaustion finally seemed to catch up to him. mark kicked his shoes off before climbing into bed beside his best friend. renjun immediately cuddled up against him and for once, mark didn't protest as he let sleep consume him.

mark woke up alone in the bed the next morning with a pounding headache and barely any memory of the night before. he rubbed his eyes as he sat up and stumbled out of bed, frowning as he found his phone on the floor. the memories of last night came back to him, and he picked his phone up and quickly turned his phone on. he frantically scrolled through his text threads before opening the one he was looking for.

 **mark:** ill do it

 **mark:** ill date you

 **donghyuck:** really??? you're not kidding???

 **donghyuck:** oh my god hshdkjs if you really mean it then okay 

 **donghyuck:** im so happy!

mark gaped at his phone for another moment before shoving it into his pocket and tugging his shoes on. he stomped downstairs, ignoring how every step made his headache worse. as he expected, his friends were all sitting in the living room and chatting as if nothing had happened. they all turned as mark came in and the conversation died as they seen the furious look on his face.

"lee jeno, i am going to fucking kill you."

the smile disappeared from jeno's face and he gulped, holding his hands up as if he meant no harm. "mark, chill. it's fine."

these words just seemed to make it worse, and the expression on mark's face was practically murderous. he glared at jeno for a few tense seconds before he managed to regain his composure, grabbing his jacket from where he left it and leaving without another word. renjun trailed behind him and attempted to calm him down, but mark was having none of it. he continued to ignore his best friend and pulled out his phone, dialing his brother's number and waiting for him to pick up.

johnny answered almost immediately (which was surprising, considering that it was saturday morning and johnny typically slept like he was dead until noon), a worried edge to his voice as he asked his little brother what was wrong. mark scoffed before replying. "it's not an emergency every time i call you. i just need you to come pick me and renjun up."

mark told his brother where they were, and he pulled up in his car after a few silent minutes of waiting. mark and renjun both climbed into the backseat, and johnny wrinkled his nose as the smell of beer filled the car.

"hey, i thought i told you to stop drinking." johnny waited for his brother to say something snarky in response, and turned to look at mark when he said nothing. "what're you so pissy for?"

renjun explained the messy situation after a moment, and johnny couldn't help but laugh. "c'mon, it's not that big of a deal. if you're that bothered, then just break up with him."

mark leans his head against the cool window and tries to ignore the teasing remarks the two other boys send his way. the ride continued like this, but things were noticeably calmer after they dropped renjun off. johnny tried his best to cheer mark up, but his mood had soured to the point that it was doubtful that anything could lift it. 

mark retreated to his bedroom as soon as they got home and continued to pout in all of his angsty teen glory. mark honestly didn't know why this whole ordeal bothered him so much. his friends were right, dating donghyuck wouldn't be  _that_ bad, but even the thought of having to deal with the younger boy for a month annoyed him. at the same time, the way donghyuck looked so sad the day before had almost made mark feel bad for him, and he didn't want to see that expression again so soon. after thinking for a few more minutes, mark made up his mind. he'd date lee donghyuck for one month and no more.

 _but mark,_ the sensible side of him said,  _won't he be even sadder if you break up with him after a month?_

mark did what he usually did in situations like these and ignored that side of him, sighing as he climbed into bed. it felt like ages before he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title of this work is from around you by hyunjin and this chapter's title is from heart attack by chuu i luv my girls!  
> this actually didn't take that long and im kinda proud of it? idk i feel like this is way better than my other fic .  
> i feel like its an unspoken rule that if theres an angsty character in something i write its based off of me in a way,, this time mark is me! soulmates r the worst and u know im right! i kinda like this so maybe ill actually finish this fic lmao


End file.
